Seaming machinery



Mmh 5,1940. l, QEWMAN 2,192,502

\ SEWING MACHINERY Filed May 24, 193s 2 sheets-sheet 1 O En? oq 63 2 50 zo.

I= 26 'i 5 'Z8 (E 3| l: '2 e SO s 33 gtg 32 .ff-'2440 j m a? 33 38 2f.: i!! 39 1 35 g g a l 7i no l 130 l iNvENTOR /sfocmzv Nf-WM^l TTRNEY March 5, 1940. 1, NEWMAN SEAMING MACHINERY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 24, 1938 /S/ooe NFWMAN BY [22M TTORNEY Patented Mar. 5, 1940 UNnen stares PATENT ortica 9 Claims.

This invention relates to seaming machinery. It is particularly directed to a device for'seamingv a cap to the neck of a can.

In previous seaming devices, such as Shown in my Patent No. 1,490,339, issued vApril 15,1924, the pivoted lever carrying the seaming roller was so mounted as to swing the roller toward the cap or cover to be seamed to the neck of the can, in such a way as to raise or lift the Vflange oi the cap, thus creating a poor seal. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide, in va seaming device, means to'force the ilange of the cap or cover downwardly, during the seaming operation, thereby eliminating any empty space between the upper edge of the can neck and the cap or cover seamed thereto.

A further object of this invention is to provide adevice of the character described, including a pivoted lever carrying a seaining roller adapted tosearn the flange of the cap against the neck of the can, the lever being so arranged that upon rotating the lever to produce the seaming operation, the roller will press the flange'of the cap downwardly, over the outer'suriace of the neck of the can, as well as radially inwardly, whereby to produce a strong seamv between the cap and the neck, and a good seal for the can.

Another object of this invention is to provide in a device of the character described, a vertically movable plunger adapted to seat on the inside of the cap during' the seaming operation, and improved adjustable means to limit downward movement oi the plunger relative to the cap so that the plunger will properly seat on the cap.

Still another object of this invention is to provide in a device of the character described, having a lever carrying a pin, and a seaming roller rotatably mounted on the pin, improvedY means to lock said pin against movement.-

HA still `further object of this invention is to provide a strong, rugged and compact device of the character described, which shallbe relatively inexpensive to manufacture, easy to manipulate,

smooth and positive in operation, and yet prac- (ci. 113-24) v shown one ofthe Various.l possible illustrative embodiments of this invention:

Fig. 1 islan` elevational view of a seaming device; embodying`v the invention', with parts in cross-section; Y

Fig. 2'isvafront, elevational .view of the upper portion'of the structure shown in Fig.` 1;

Fig. 3 isa front, elevationalview of a portion oi' the seaming device;

Fig.v 4` is an enlarged',` cross-sectional Viewv taken-online-flf-l'of Fig'. 1;

Fig. 5 isa cross-sectional View taken online 5-5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. Gis abottom planview of the device shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken on line l-l of Fig. 4; y

Fig. 8 isa View similar" to Fig; 4, but showing therollersy in seaming position; and

Fig. 9 .is a perspective view of one of the 1evers supporting the seaming roller. 4

Referring now in detail to the drawings, IE] designates a seamingy device embodying the invention., For the purpose ,of` illustration, there 1 is shown in the drawingsa can H, provided with an upstanding cylindrical neck i2, and a cap onto'the neck'l 12e-oi the can, vin the manner tobe f described hereinafter.

The. device- Il) comprises an elongated vertical spindle, 2B.; formed with a through opening or bore 2|.. Said4 spindle has an yenlarged portion 22, atA its lower end, formed with an yenlarged internally screw threaded portion 23, at the lowerv end-of thevbore 2l. EXtendingirom-the internally screw` threaded portion 23 is a smooth cylindrical bore 24,1romwhich'there extends a conical opening 25,fat(the lower end ofV the-enlarged portion 22 ofv spindle'. 26. Said spindle 29) is furthermore' formed onr the outerl facefthereof, and adjacenty f the yupper end. thereof, with an elongated key slot 26.' i y Meansfis provided to rotate the spindle 20. To thisend, there is provided a xed frame 21, on whichisrotatably mounted al bevel gear` 28, receivedvonthe spindlez and Splined thereto by.

l automatically in any suitable well known man-` a key 29, slidable in the keyway 26. The bevel gear 28 may be rotated in any suitable manner, for example, by a gear 3| meshing therewith and mounted on the frame 21, and connected in any suitable manner to an electric motor or any other motive power.

Means is provided for reciprocating the spindle 28. To this end, there are fixed to said spindle, by set screws 32, collars 33 spaced above the enlarged portion 22 of said sleeve. Interposed between the collars 33 and said enlarged portion 22 of the spindle 29, is a sleeve 35, rotatably receiving the spindle, and formed with a longitudinal rack portion 36.` Interposed between sleeve 35 and said portion 22 of the spindle, is a thrust bearing 31. An anti-friction washer 38 may be interposed between the sleeve 35 and the collars 33. Meshing with the rack 36 is a pinion 39 on a shaft 48 mounted on a suitable frame. The pinion 39 may be oscillated either manually or ner.

It will now be understood that the spindle may be rotated and reciprocated concurrently.

Screwed within the lower end of the spindle 28 for rotation and reciprocation therewith, is a member 42 having a screw threaded portion 43, engaging the internally screw threaded portion 23 of the spindle; a portion 44 within the bore 24, and a conical portion 45 within the conical opening 25 of said spindle. Extending from the portion 45 of member 42 is an externally screw threaded portion 46, and extending fro-m said externally screw threaded portion, is a cylindrical portion 41. Member 42 is formed with aA through bore 48 of the same dimension as, and coaxial with, the bore 2| of spindle 28.

Slidably extending through said spindle and member 42, is a rod 58 extending above the upper end of the spindle and below the lower end of member 42. At the upper end of spindle 28 is an oil cup 58a to lubricate rod 58.

Attached to the lower end of the rod by a pin 53, is a tubular coupling member 54, and attached to the coupling member 54, by pin 55, is a plunger 51 having a shank 51a, coaxial with said rod and having a frusto-conical head 58, at the lower end of the shank, adapted to be received within and seated on the cap I3 when the rod 58 is lowered during the seaming operation. The plunger 51 is formed with a shoulder 59, above the head, carrying a thrust bearing 59a, for the purpose hereinafter appearing.

Means is provided for holding rod 58 against rotation, and adjustably limiting downward movement of the plunger so as to properly seat the same on the cap I3. To this end, the xed frame 21 is formed with a pair of parallel vertical upwardly extending sockets 62 open at the top. Fixed to the upper end of rod 58 in vertically adjusted position, by a set screw 63, is a crosshead 64 formed at the ends thereof with a pair of vertical openings 65, aligned with the sockets 62. Extending into the opening 65 and fixed to the cross-head 54 by a force fit or in any other suitable manner, are a pair of parallel vertical pins 66 slidably extending into the sockets 62.

Slidably mounted o-n the pins 66 is a crosshead 61 having parallel vertical openings B8 slidably receiving said pins, and having downwardly projecting portions 68a resting on the upper ends of the sockets 52. Said cross-head 61 has a central screw threaded opening 69 in which is screwed a tubular sleeve 18 having a central bore to' slidably receive the rod 58. 'Ihe screw 61 is provided with a knurled head 1I, and may be fixed to the cross-head 61 in various adjusted positions by a set screw 12.

It will now be understood that rod 50 is held against rotation, and screw 10 acts as a stop to limit downward movement of said rod. The downward limit of movement of said rod 58 and plunger head 58, may be adjusted by rotating the screw 10 within opening 69 to properly seat the head of the plunger on the cap I3.

Means is provided to seam the ange I1 of the cap to the neck of the can when the head 58 of the plunger is seated on said cap. To this end, there is slidably mounted on the shank 51a of the plunger 51, a tubular sleeve 12 having external screw threads 13. Said sleeve is interposed between the thrust bearing 59a and the coupling 54 and has a limited sliding movement or lost motion on said shank. At the lower end thereof, tubular sleeve 12 is formed with a plurality of equiangularly spaced radial notches 14, for the purpose hereinafter appearing.

Mounted on the sleeve 12 is a body 15. Said body 15 comprises an inverted T-shaped member 18 having a horizontal substantially rectangular portion 11 formed with a central vertical screw threaded opening 18 within which the sleeve 12 is screwed. Said portion 11 is formed with a pair of parallel horizontal through openings 19 and 89, disposed on opposite sides of the screw threaded opening 18. Extending upwardly from said rectangular portion 11, is a sleeve portion 82, slidably receiving the portion 41 of member 42. On the inner surface thereof, said sleeve portion 82 has a longitudinal keyway 83, receiving a key o-r spline 84, xed to said portion 41 of member 42, whereby to prevent rotation of the body 15 relative to said member 42, but permitting limited reciprocation of said member relative to said body, for the purpose hereinafter appearing. Said sleeve 82 has a pair of similar, opposite, longitudinal slots 82a; and xed to said portion 41 of member 42 are a pair of radial pins or screws B2b projecting into said slots. i

It will now be understood that when the spindle is lifted, it will carry the member 42 upwardly therewith until the pins 82bengage the upper ends of the slots 82a. Further upward movement of the spindle will lift the body 15, and hence the tubular member 12, which, after some slight movement contacts the bottom end of the coupling member 54 to lift the rod 58 and plunger 51 off the cap of the can.

Fixed to the outer ends of the rectangular portion 11, as by screws B5 are similar, parallel, horizontal members 86 projecting to opposite sides of said portion; and xed to the ends of said members 86, as by screws 81, are horizontal, parallel members 88 forming slots 89 with said rectangular portion. The underside of said portion 11 is formed with a longitudinal slot 98, and the underside of one of the members 86 is formed with a slot 9| communicating with slot 90.

Disposed within the slots 90 and 9| is a key 92 formed with an elongated slot 93, through which extends a screw 94, screwed to said member 86 for fixing said key to body 15. The key 92 has a portion 96 projecting into one of the notches 14. By loosening the screw 94, the key 92 may be moved to the right, looking at Fig. 8 of the drawings, to disengage the portion 96 thereof from notch 14. Screw 12 may then be rotated to adjust the same relative to the member 16. Thereafter, the key 92 may then again zbetween. said armsv is formed with arcacoa ings 80, 35a. and traversing theother slot 89;.

isa pin llll, parallel to saidpinillt, and disposed on the other side of said plunger.

Pivoted onthe pins Hilland ||l|-I are a pair of similar, symmetrically disposed levers M32., one of which isillustratedinliig. 9 of the drawings. Since the leversaresimilar and symmetrically disposed, one with respect to the. other, one only of'sa-id levers will'. bedes'cribedin detail EachA lever |52 has an L-shaped portion. |63,

disposed inthe-plane of, and extending through. Said*A L-shaped portion |03` one of the slots 89. comprisesanupwardly extending arm Illfland a downwardly extending arm. m5. `The portion |08 to receivetheA pin |50.

It will-be noted that the pin Midis disposed on oneside of the plunger 5l, and the arm` lill is i inclined upwardly toward the other side of. the

plunger, and the armA is inclined downwardly towardV the other side of saidY plunger.

Extending from the upper end' of the arm |54, toward a plane passing through the axis of the plunger. and disposed parallel to the slots 39 is a portionl formed with a slot. |08V carrying a horizontal pin |.||l traversing said slot, and disposed parallel to pivot pinA |95. Pinsy I and of each lever |52, are. located on opposite sides of the plunger. 5l', as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 8.

Rotatably mounted on the pin. HD isla roller or wheel projecting beyond said Slo-ton lthe` inside of portion |53, for the purpose hereinafter appearing.

Portion |08v of each lever is also provided with a horizontal ledge 2, formedwith a pair of screw threaded openings H3, for the purpose hereinafter. appearing. i

At the lower end off arm |55 isa. portionl H5,

A. disposedV below portion 'll ol member Y6, and

extending at right angles to the slots 89, and oir-the opposite side of plunger 5l to pin E559. Looking at Fig. 3 of. the drawings, it willbe seen that portions |03 of the levers H12y are parallel to one another, that portions ld. are parallel tolone another, and that the bottom end of the plunger is disposed between the portions H5 of the levers. Portions ||5 of the levers |52, are likewise parallel to one. anothenand extend in opposite directions. y

The portion H5. of eachlever m2, is provided witha downwardly and outwardly inclined screw threaded opening H6, disposed in a vertical plane, passing through the axis of the plunger and located betweenthe slots t9. Screwed within opening is a stud or screw ||l having, at its lower end, a head ||8, spaced from-said portion` H5.` Rotatably mounted .on said screw ll, andheld! thereon by the head H8, isa seeming roller I9.

Means is provided for retaining the stud ||l against accidental movement or. loosening with.

respect to thelever. To this end, portion ||5=of each lever is formed with. ahorizontal through.

an opening screw threaded' opening" H5, and having an enlarged portio-n IZI'a. at one'v end. The' axes of said` openings are: oilset. one .from the other, butsaid openings communicate wherethey overlap atitheir intersection. Extending 'within' the opening |20, is a. pinA |22 havingascrew' threadedv portion |23, atoneend, projecting intosaid enlarged opening |2Ia, and receiving a nut im contacting one end of said portion. l5. Pin 22 isiformed withan-in'clined cutawayv portion |25, adjacent the openingv H6. The stud lll `projects into the notch or cut away portion |25. By tightening the: nut |24-, the pin |22: will be moved longitudinally of thefopening |2|l to move the inclined surface of the notch |25 against thescrew toholdlsaidscrew against movement. Upon loosening theY nut |26 to permit the pin |22.toshift within the opening |28, screw will be. released to permit the same to be turned Within or unscrewed from the opening H6; l

It. will be noted that theuseaming.rollers- H9 are disposed on thediametrically opposite sidesv of, and adjacent, the head158 of plunger 5l;

Means is provided to rotate the levers M2" about pinsy |09, lill, in suchidirection as to move the seaming rollers i|9 away from the plunger head. To this end, there arexed to the ledges H2 of thev levers, cross bars |35; bars may be xed to. said ledges by bolts` l3| passing. thro-ugh the openings H3 in said ledges. The endsof the cross bars |35 may be interconnected by coil springs |32, .normally pulling the upper ends "|584 of theleverstoward each other, and moving the lower ends of the levers and rollers |9 away from each other.

Means is provided to rotate the leversl in opposite directions to bring thev seaming rollers I3 toward the head ofA the plunger, for pressing the flange |7 oi thecap-I3, downwardly. and'against the neckI |2 ofthe can, as the body-l5, together with the levers. |02, rotates about'. the axis of spindle 2.0. Tothis-end, there is screwedtoithe screw threadedportion 46' of member 62,19. coni'- calmember |35 slidably receiving .the sleeve |32 and interposed between, and kcontacting the:r.ollersor wheels at `the upper ends oithelevt-us.v

Upon moving the spindle '2.0 downwardly, the cone` shaped member |35 will move downwardly with member 42` and together with the spindle and plunger, until theplunger is seated on the cap` spread the upper ends of thelevers apart to. rotate saidleverafandmove the scanning rollers.

downwardly and inwardly to seam the ange l? ofthe'capto the neckv l2 of thecan.y

It will now be understood. that spindle 2li, mem ber 42,.body l5 andcone |35 rotate during the seaming operation, while the rod vl'attand plunger 57i are stationary. Since each lever has itsv pivotal point on one siderof the axis ciA the plunger, and its searning roller is'locatedon the'opposite side of said plunger, rotation of said lever during the seeming operation will move the seeming roller ,l |9 downwardly,.as well as to. pull theY ange v|.| downwardly over the neck |.21to makeJastrong tseam .and agood. seal.

In4 prior. constructions:where the: pivotal.. com` Said cross..

inwardly, so as nection for the lever is on the same side ofthe plunger as the seaming roller carried thereby, as shown in my Patent No. 1,490,339, issued April 15, 1924, rotation of the lever although moving the seaming roller inwardly toward the axis of the plunger does `not move` said roller downwardly as in the present construction, to aid in pulling the flange of the cap downwardly over the neck of the can. i

In the present construction wherein the seaming rollers are moved downwardly upon rotating the levers, the ange of the cap is urged or pressed in a downward direction over the cap of the can so as to embrace a larger area of the neck and thus produce a tighter and stronger seam.

After the seaming operation is completed, upward movement of the spindle will cause movement of the conical member l35 upwardly relative to the body, to permit the springs 32 to rotate the upper ends of thellevers toward each other and the rollers H5 away from the ange Il. When the pin B2b reaches the upper end of the slot or groove 82a, the body 'l5 will also be moved upwardly to carrythe plunger out of the cap.

By placing the pivot for each lever on one side of the vertical rod 56 and the seaming roller of said lever on the other side of the vertical rod, a downward thrust will result at the point of contact between the seaming roller and the flange of the cap. I have found that good results are obtained when the levers are so constructed that the angle formed by the intersection of the axis of the rod 50 with a plane passing through the pivotal axis of one of the levers and the point of contact of the roller on said lever with a cap on the plunger, is greater than twentyiive degrees, as shown on the drawings.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

v I-Iaving thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In a seaming device, a rod, a plunger at the lower end of said rod, a body rotatably mounted on said rod, a lever pivoted on said body about an axis perpendicular to said rod and disposed on one side of said rod, a seaming roller on said lever and disposed on the other side of said rod, means to rotate said-body about said rod, means for rotating said lever about its pivot, means to yreciprocate said rod, and adjustable means to limit longitudinal movement of said rod in one direction, the angle formed by the intersection of the axis of saidrod with a plane passing through the pivotal axis of the lever and the point of contact of the roller with a cap on said plunger, being greater than twenty-five degrees.

2. In a device for seaming the flange of a cap to the neck of a can, a rod, a plunger at the lower end of said rod, a body rotatably mounted on said rod, means for rotating said body, a lever pivoted to said body about an axis perpendicular to the axis of said plunger and disposed on one side of said plunger, said lever having an L- shaped portion disposed in a plane parallel to the axis of said plunger and perpendicular to the pivotal axis, said L-shaped portion comprising an upwardly inclined arm and a downwardly inclined arm extending from the pivotal axis for said lever on one side of said plunger to the opposite side of said plunger, said upwardly inclined arm carrying a pin at the upper end thereof, disposed parallel to saidv pivotal axis, said plunger being disposed between said pivotal axis and pin, a wheel rotatably mounted on said pin and disposed in a plane passing through the axis of said plunger, said downwardly extending arm having a portion at the lower end thereof disposed parallel to said pivotal axis, said plunger being interposed between said portion and said pivotal axis, aseaming roller rotatably mounted on said portion on a downwardly and outwardly inclined axis, disposed in a plane passing through the axis of said plunger, and means slidably mounted relative to said body and engaging said wheel to rotate said lever for moving said seaming roller against the flange of the cap to seam the same to the neck of the can.

3. In a seaming device, a rod, a plunger at the lower end of said rod, a body rotatably mounted on said rod, means for rotating said body, a lever pivoted to said body, said lever being formed with a screw threaded opening, a screw screwed within said opening, a seaming roller rotatably mounted on said screw, said lever being vformed with an opening perpendicular to said screw threaded opening and communicating therewith, a pin within said last mentioned opening and formed with an inclined notch, said screw projecting into said notch, and means for moving said pin longitudinally to press the inclined surface of said pin at said notch against said screw to retain the same against movement.

4. In a seaming device, a rod, a plunger at the lower end of said rod, a body rotatably mounted on said rod, means 'for rotating said body, a lever pivoted to said body, said lever being formed with a screw threaded opening, a screw screwed within said opening, a seaming roller rotatably mounted on said screw, said lever being formed with an opening perpendicular to said screw threaded opening and communicating therewith, a pin within said last mentioned opening and formed with an inclined notch, said screw projecting into said notch, and means for moving said pin longitudinally to press the inclined surface of said pin at said notch against said screw to retain the same against movement, said plunger being disposed between the pivotal axis of said lever and said seaming roller.

5. In a seaming device, a rod, a plunger at the lower end of said rod, a body rotatably mounted on said rod, means for rotating said body, a lever pivoted to said body, said lever being formed with a screw threaded opening, a screw screwed within said opening, a seaming roller rotatably mounted on said screw, said lever being formed with an opening perpendicular to said screw threaded opening and communicating therewith, a pin within said last mentioned opening and formed with an inclined notch, said screw projecting into said notch, means for moving said pin longitudinally to press the inclined surface of said pin at said notch against said screw to retain the same against movement, said plunger being disposed between the pivotal axis of said lever and said seaming roller, means for reciprocating said rod and plunger, and means .for adjustably limiting movement of said rod and plunger in one direction.

6. In a seaming device, a rod, a plunger onsaid rod, a body rotatably mounted on said rod,

means for rotating said body, a pair of similar,

symmetrically disposed levers pivoted to said body on parallel axes, perpendicular to said rod, and disposed on opposite sides of said rod, a seaming roller on each lever, said rod being disposed between the pivotal axis and seaming roller of each lever, the seaming rollers of said levers being disposed on diametrically opposite sides of said plunger, a wheel rotatably mounted on each lever about a pin parallel tothe pivotal axis for said lever, said rod being disposed between the pivotal axis and pin of each lever, said wheels being disposed on diametrically opposite sides of said rod, means for rotating said levers about their axes to move said rollers away from each other' and from said plunger, and a member slidably mounted relative to said body and interposed between and contacting said wheels for rotating said levers about their pivotal axes in such direction as to move Athe seaming rollers toward each other and toward said plunger, the angle formed by the intersection of the axis of the rod with a plane passing through the pivotal axis ci each lever and the point of contact of the roller on said lever with a cap on said plunger, being greater than twenty-five degrees.

7. In a seeming device, a rod, aplunger on said rod, a body rotatably mounted on said rod, means for rotating said body, a pair of similar, symmetrically disposed levers pivoted to said body on parallel axes, perpendicular to said rod, and disposed on opposite sides of said rod, a seaming roller on each lever, said rod being disposed between the pivotal axis and seaming roller of each lever, the seaming rollers of said levers being disposed on diametrically opposite sides of said plunger, a wheel rotatably mounted on each lever about a pin parallel to the pivotal axis for said lever, said rod being disposed between the pivotal axis and pin of each lever, said wheels being disposed on diametrically opposite sides of said rod, means for rotating said levers about their axes to move said rollers away from each with a plane passing through the pivotal axis of each lever and the point of contact of the roller on said lever with a cap on said plunger,

, being greater than twenty-five degrees.

8. In a seaming device, a rod, a plunger on said rod, a body rotatably mounted on said rod, means for rotating said body, a member mounted on said body for sliding movement axially of said rod, a lever pivoted to said body about an axis disposed on one side of said rod, a seaming roller on said lever disposed on the opposite side of said rod, said member being formed with an inclined annular surface, means on said lever disposed on the same side o the rod as the seaming roller and contacting said inclined surface, and means for causing axial movement of Vsaid member relative to saidbody for rotating said lever.

9. In a seaming devioe,a rod, a plunger on said rod, a body rotatably mounted on said rod, means for rotating said body, a member mounted on said body for sliding movement axially of said rod, a lever pivoted to said body about an axis disposed on one side of said rod, a seaming roller on said lever disposed on the opposite side of said rod, said member being formed with an inclined annular surface, means on said lever disn posed on the same side of the rod as the seaming roller and contacting said inclined surface, means for causing axial movement of said member relative to said body for rotating said lever, and adjustable means to limit longitudinal movement of the rod and plunger in one direction.

ISIDOR NEWMAN. 

